China 

Mission 


\ 


METHODIST  EPISCOPAL 
CHURCH 


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lU  1 l.DINCS  ()!■  NANKINC  I' \I VIOHSITV 


CHINA 

OLD  AND  NEW 

MRS.  FRANK  D.  GAME  WELL 

PEKING,  CHINA 

“This  is  the  Greatest  Opportunity  which  has 
confronted  Christendom  since  the 
Reformation,  if  not  since  the 
Coming  of  Christ” 

— Bishop  Bashford  in  October  number 
of  The  Chinese  Recorder  and 
Missionary  Journal,  Shanghai,  China 


Second  Edidon  of  the  China  Booklet 


THE  MISSIONARY  SOCIETY 
OF  THE  METHODIST  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH 
OPEX  DOOR  EMERGENCY  COMMISSION 
150  Fifth  Avenue,  New  York 

1906 


PRICE  TEN  CENTS 


CHINA,  OLD  AND  NEW 


“I  EXPECT  GOD  WILL” 

In  the  beginning  of  eighteen  hundred,  a sneering  shipowner 
said  to  China’s  first  protestant  missionary,  “And  so,  Mr.  Mor- 
rison, you  expect  you  will  make  an  impression  on  the  idolatry 
of  the  great  Chinese  Empire!” 

“No  sir,  I expect  God  will,”  Robert  Morrison  replied. 

Now,  after  a hundred  years  of  resistance  and  grudging  con- 
cessions, in  the  first  years  of  nineteen  hundred, 

A WIDE  OPEN  DOOR 

confronts  Christendom.  It  is  God’s  response  to  Morrison’s 
expectations  and  the  prayers  of  the  church  and  it  is 

GOD’S  COMMAND 

to  “move  .speedily  and  with  large  resources”  * through  these 
now  wide-flung  doors,  beyond  whose  threshold  lies  the 
church’s  supreme  opportunity  and  the  church’s  supreme  re- 
sponsibility. 

AREA— CHINA  PROPER 

China  is  commonly  understood  to  be  that  portion  of  the 
Chinese  Empire  which  lies  within  the  boundary  of  her  eight- 
een provinces,  and  is  known  as  China  Proper.  China  Proper 
has  an  area  aqual  to  the  area  of  the  United  States  ea.st  of  the 
Mississippi  river  with  that  of  Texas,  Arkansas,  and  Iowa  added 
and  a coast  line  of  about  four  thousand  four  hundred  miles. 


* Bishop  Bashford 


THE  CHINESE  EMPIRE 

Besides  her  eighteen  provinces,  China  has  vast  colonial 
possessions  in  Mongolia,  Hi,  Turkestan,  and  Tibet.  The  area 
of  the  whole  Chinese  Empire  is  as  extensive  as  the  sum  total 
area  of  the  United  States,  the  provinces  of  Ontario  and 
Quebec  and  half  of  Mexico.* 

ENVIRONMENT 

The  Desert  of  Gobi — discouraging  to  invaders — occupies 
much  of  Mongolia  and  shuts  China  in  on  the  north.  Range 
after  range  of  rugged  and  all  but  impassable  mountains  sweep 
between  her  and  her  neighbors  on  the  west  and  south,  and 


HAT.WEN  TOWER,  PEKING 

through  almost  the  entire  length  of  her  eastern  boundary, 
she  faces  the  great  Pacific — for  centuries  a trackless  waste 
of  waters  that  insured  China  against  intruders  from  the  east. 
CONFIGURATION 

Mountain  ranges  cover  most  of  western  and  southwestern 
China,  and  hills,  cultivated  to  the  top  in  many  instances, 

* Geography  of  Protestant  Mi.ssions.  Beach.  Page  257. 

6 


occupy  the  southern  and  southeastern  provinces.  The 
mountain  ranges  increase  in  height  going  west,  until  the  lofty 
ranges  of  Tibet  are  reached,  and  there  are  found  some 
Mountains  of  the  highest  peaks  in  the  world.  Travelers  say 
that  the  scenes  among  China’s  mountains  are  not 
surpassed  in  sublimity  and  awe-inspiring  grandeur  by  any 
other  mountain  scenery  anywhere. 

Among  the  mountains  are  numerous  fertile  valleys  and 
plains;  and  there  are  wide  stretches  of  grazing  land  on  the 
plateaus  of  Mongolia. 

The  Great  Plain  of  China  lies  between  the  Yangtse  river 
on  the  south  and  the  mountains  beyond  Peking  on  the  north. 
The  plain  is  about  eight  hundred  miles  long  and  varies  in 
width  from  one  hundred  and  fifty  to  five  hundred  miles. 

On  the  north,  rough  mountain  passes  give  entrance  from 
the  plain  to  the  high  table-lands  of  Mongolia.  On  the  west, 
trade  routes  and  government  roads,  which  are  often  little 
more  than  footpaths,  lead  through  lofty  passes  and  by  peril- 
ous ways,  to  China’s  western  provinces,  and  to  lands  beyond. 

From  the  mountains  on  the  west  to  the  sea  on  the  east, 
three  great  river  systems  cross  the  empire;  that  of  the  Yel- 
low River  in  the  north,  that  of  the  Pearl  or  West  river  in  the 
south,  and  between  the  two  lies  the  wide-spreading  system  of 
the  great  Yangtse. 

POPULATION 

The  people  of  the  Chinese  Empire,  according  to  the  latest 
statistics,  number  436,000,000.  Four  hundred  millions  of 
this  immense  population  belong  to  China  Proper.  In  about 
one  tenth  of  the  habitable  globe  lives  nearly  one  third  of  the 
human  race,  a people  whose  number  is  so  great  that  if  they 
should  join  hands  in  a single  line,  the  line  would  reach  ten 
times  around  the  globe.  And  Herbert  Allen  Giles,  LL.  D., 
says  of  them  in  his  volume  of  lectures  entitled  “China  and 
the  Chinese,”  “ If  the  Chinese  people  were  to  file  one  by  one 
past  a given  point,  the  interesting  procession  would  never 
come  to  an  end.  Before  the  last  man  of  those  living  to-day 
had  gone  by,  another  and  a new  generation  would  have  grown 
up,  and  so  on  for  ever  and  ever.” 


RESOURCES 


This  immense  empire  with  its  population  of  bewildering 
proportions,  lies  almost  entirely  within  the  temperate  zone. 
It  is  said  that  China  Proper  has  650,000,000  acres 
Arable  of  arable  land,  and  that  more  than  three  fourths  of 
Land  China’s  area  produces  two  crops  annually.* 

China  has  numerous  canals,  among  which  is  the  Grand 
Canal  connecting  Soochow'  and  the  far  south  with  Tientsin 
in  the  north.  These  canals  so  unite  with  the  rivers  as  to  form 
a network  of  waterways,  that  not  only  make  China  independ- 
ent of  her  coast  trade  in  times  of  danger,  but  also  afford  fine 
facilities  for  irrigation  which  the  Chinese  have  carried  to  a 
high  degree  of  perfection.  The  fertility  of  her  soil 
Water  and  the  industry  of  her  people  supply  China  with 
Ways  agricultural  resources  equal  to  the  demands  of  her 

great  population. 

Besides  her  agricultural  riches,  China  has  immense  min- 
eral wealth.  “Four  hundred  and  nineteen  thousand  square 
miles  are  believed  to  be  underlaid  with  coal,”  and  it 
Coal  is  said  that  the  coal  fields  of  the  single  province  of 

Shensi  could  supply  the  entire  world  for  a thousand 
years. 

Vast  deposits  of  iron  ore  and  rich  mines  of  gold 
Iron  and  silver  and  copper  and  other  metals  await  only 

improved  methods  of  working  to  set  flowing  great 
streams  of  wealth  and  prosperity. 


HISTORY 

Wars,  tumults,  conquests,  divisions  and  overturnings  have 
made  many  changes  in  her  boundaries,  but  China  has 
Long  Life  had  a continuous  national  existence  and  a known 
of  Nation  history — largely  legendary  for  the  first  thousand 
3-ears — ever  since  the  time  of  Abraham. 


* The  Middle  Kingdom,  Vol.  I.,  page  276,  S.  W.  Williams,  LL.  D. 
Baron  von  Richthoven  quoted  in  X6w  Forces  in  Old  China,  page  18,  A. 
J.  Brown,  D.D. 


8 


Through  all  the  years,  from  the  time  of  Abraham  to  the 
destruction  of  Jerusalem,  tlirough  the  rise  and  decline  of 
Persian,  Grecian  and  Roman  empires,  through  the  turbu- 
lence and  change  out  of  which  have  come  the  present  Eu- 
ropean nations  and  the  Anglo-Saxon  race,  Chinese  national 
life  has  flowed  on  and  on,  a continuous  stream  of  dynasties 
and  sovereigns,  down  to  the  present  Ching  (Pure)  Dynasty, 
which  was  established  in  1644,  when  the  Manchus  overthrew 
the  Chinese  and  imposed  the  queue  as  the  badge  of  their  sub- 
jugation, and  whose  present  nominal  sovereign  is  the  Emperor 
Kwang  Hsii.  This  young  Emperor  came  under  the  influence 
of  the  progressive  party  and  edicts  were  proclaimed  provid- 
ing for  important  administrative  reforms.  These  proposed 
innovations  precipitated  a palace  revolution  in  1898  and 
led  to  his  imprisonment.  Since  that  date  the  Empress 
Dowager  has  been  in  authority  over  the  affairs  of  State. 


LANGUAGE 

The  Mandarin  dialect  is  spoken  over  four  fifths  of 
Eight  China,  while  the  people  of  the  remaining  fifth  speak 

Dialects  seven  different  dialects,  each  as  unlike  the  others  as  a 
different  language.* 

The  written  language  is  idiographic  and  all  over  the  empire 
the  same.  The  meaning  of  each  character  depends  entirely 
upon  its  form,  not  at  all  upon  its  sound,  so  the 
One  Written  same  page  may  be  read  by  men  whose  speech  is 
Language  unintelligible  to  each  other.  Thus  China  in  spite 
of  her  many  dialects,  is  united  by  a common 
literature. 

CIVILIZATION 

Though  many  wars  have  raged  within  her  borders,  China 
is  a peace-loving  rather  than  a warlike  nation;  and  the 


*See  China  and  Chinese,  page  7,  H.  A.  Giles,  LL.  D. 


9 


Chinese  had  developed  a high  degree  of  civilization  long 
before  the  opening  of  the  Christian  era. 

The  Chinese  in- 
vented printing; 
they  discovered 
the  principle  of 
the  mariner’s 
compass;  they 
were  the  first  to 
grow  tea  and 
manufacture 
gunpowder;  they 
constructed  roads 
which  Dr.  S.  Wells 
Williams  says 
“ probably  equ.al 
anything  of  the 
kind  ever  built  by 
the  lfomans;”and 
they  built  fifteen 
hundred  miles  of 
wall,  through  val- 
leys and  over 

mountain  tops,  which  stands,  with  the  pyramids,  a mon- 
ument of  stupendous  human  energy,  one  of  the  wonders  of 


BRONZE  ASTRONOMICAL  INSTRUMENTS 
PEKING,  1674. 


the  world. 


Through  the  ages,  the  Chinese  have  always  exalted  learn- 
ing, developed  literature  and  supported  schools.  During 
the  Han  Dyna.sty  (202-221  A.  D.),  when  brute 
Competitive  force  was  the  only  way  to  preferment  in  the 

Examinations  West,  China  established  a system  of  examin- 

ations and  made  scholarship  the  only  entrance 
to  official  position.  The  securing  of  a literary  degree  is  at 
once  the  passport  to  official  position  and  a sure  mark  of 
honorable  distinction,  and  is  therefore  the  prize  sought  by 
all  the  scholars  of  China. 


10 


To  the  present  day,  reverence  for  learning  and  for  the  books 
of  their  sages  everywhere  prevails  among  the  Chinese. 
Reverence  Esteem  for  the  scholarship  of  the  official  class  has 
for  Learning  had  much  to  do  with  a corrupt  officialdom  keeping 
so  secure  and  influential  a hold  upon  the  people,  generation 
after  generation. 


MISSIONARIES  AND  DR.  HO.MER  EATON,  AT  SACRED 
TURTLE  AND  SHAFT,  BUDDHIST  TEMPLE. 

RELIGION 

China  is  commonly  said  to  have  three  religions  : Con- 
fucianism, Buddhism,  Taoism.  The  fir.st  is  not  properly 
called  a religion. 

It  is  a system  of  ethics  which  furnishes  no  hint  as  to 


11 


the  existence  of  any  power  outside  of  man  which  will  help 
Confucian-  attain,  to  its  high  standards.  The  highest  power 

to  whom  Confucius  teaches  men  to  fulfill  duty  is  the 
head  of  the  state  and  the  head  of  the  family.  Con- 
cerning the  future  he  says,  “Not  knowing  life,  how  can  we 
know  death?”  Confucianism  is  a kind  of  agnosticism  and  all 
of  the  educated  men  of  the  empire  are  Confucianists. 

Buddhism  originated  in  India  about  600  B.  C.,  in  the  teach- 
ings and  practices  of  a prince  named  Seddhartha  and  some- 
times called  Gautama.  Buddhist  monks  came  to  China  as 
early  as  230  B.  C.,  but  it  was  not  until  67  A.  D.,  that 
Buddhism  the  religion  was  received  with  favor  by  imperial  sanc- 
tion. Gautama,  deified  as  the  first  Buddha,  taught  that 
by  self-denial  and  good  works  through  ages  of  transmigra- 
tion, one  might  finally  escape  the  miseries  of  human  exist- 
ence and  be  absorbed  into  Nirvana,  which  state  may  mean 
annihilation. 

Taoism  is  indigenous  to  China.  It  is  a rationalistic  sys- 
tem founded  by  one  called  Laotzu.  The  time  and  place  of 
Laotzu’s  birth  are  not  accurately  known;  but  he  is  said  to 
have  been  born  in  the  province  of  Honan  604  B.  C., 
Taoism  fifty-four  years  previous  to  the  birth  of  Confucius. 

Laotzu  taught  retirement  and  contemplation  as  the 
way  of  purification  and  final  return  to  the  bosom  of  Tao — 
and  none  knows  exactly  what  he  meant  by  Tao.  Dr.  Giles 
WTites  “ The  famous  doctrine  of  Inaction  ...  is  really  the 
criterion  of  Laotzu’s  philosophy.” 

There  is  a so-called  State  Religion  in  which  the  Emperor 
officiates  as  high  priest  and  only  worshiper.  It  is  based 
upon  the  assumption  that  the  Emperor  is  the  son  of  heaven, 
that  he  obtains  his  power  and  right  to  rule  from 
State  heaven  and  is  the  only  mortal  who  may  worship  at  the 

Religion  Altar  of  Heaven  and  of  Earth,  and  that  if  famine, 

drought,  flood  or  other  disaster  visit  the  nation  it  is 
the  fault  of  the  Emperor,  and  he  must  atone  to  heaven  and 
earth  by  prostrations,  sacrifices  and  reformation.  This  religion 
is  three  thousand  years  old.  Its  greatest  ceremony  occurs 


12 


in  the  winter  solstice.  Tlie  Emperor,  in  a chariot  drawn 
by  an  elephant,  accompanied  a grand  procession  of 
princes  and  nobles,  goes  the  day  before  to  the  Altar 
and  Temple  of  Heaven,  and  in  the  Palace  of  Fasting,  pre- 
pares for  the  grand  ceremonial  which  occurs  at  midnight. 
The  altar  where  the  worship  culminates  is  a triple  circular 
terrace.  Its  base  has  a diameter  of  210  feet,  the  middle  150 
feet,  and  the  top  90  feet. 

Each  terrace  is  surrounded  by  a beautiful  white  marble 
balustrade  and  is  ascended  by  four  flights  of  .steps.  On  the 
marble  paved  top  of  this  altar,  under  the  niidniclit  sky,  the 
Emperor  prostrates  himself  to  Heaven  in  behalf  of  his  people. 
The  odor  of  burning  sacrifices  and  the  glare  of  their  fires  add 
to  the  solemnity  of  this  remarkable  ceremony.  There  are 
no  images  in  the  Temple  of  Heaven  or  connected  with  the 
worship  there.  The  object  worshiped  seems  to  be  the  visible 
heavens.  There  are  those  who  believe  that  the  altar  and 
the  worship  remain  from  a long-gone  past,  when  the  Chinese 
knew  and  w'orshiped  the  one  true  God. 

Dr.  Legge,  an  English  pioneer  missionary  and  an  eminent 
Chinese  scholar,  was  so  convinced  that  such  was  the  fact, 
that  when  he  visited  the  Temple  of  Heaven  and  came  to  the 
great  open  altar,  he  took  off  his  shoes  before  placing  foot  upon 
its,  to  him,  sacred  steps;  and  standing  on  the  top,  with  un- 
covered head,  he  sung,  “ Praise  God  from  w’hom  all  blessings 
flow.” 

The  State  Religion  is  closely  connected  with  the  Ju  Chiao, 
or  Learned  Sect,  called  Confuci.anists,  as  all  connected  w'ith 
it  are  learned  men  and  reverence  Confucius;  but  the  common 
people  have  no  part  in  its  worship. 

Dr.  Williams  calls  attention  to  the  fact  that  the  Emperor’s 
relation  to  the  state  religion  has  produced  two  notable 
results. 

No  Religious  First,  the  Emperor,  representing  in  his  own  person 
Hierarchy  heaven  and  earth  and  all  the  people,  and  delegat- 
ing not  one  fraction  of  his  great  glory  to  any  other, 
has  never  left  any  standing-room  on  which  a religious 


13 


hierarchy  might  develop.  Therefore,  there  has  never  been 
such  a hierarchy  to  embarrass  the  government  or  oppress  the 
people. 

Second,  the  theory  that  the  Emperor — son  of  heaven,  is 
responsible  to  the  supreme  powers  for  all  disasters  to  the  na- 
tion, and  that  every  official  is  responsible  to  the 
Democratic  Emperor  for  all  that  troubles  the  people  of  his  dis- 

Rule  in  trict,  implies  the  right  of  the  people  to  vindicate 

Despotic  themselves,  when  too  hard  pressed  by  sinning  offi- 

Monarchy  cials.  The  possibility  of  such  vindication  holds 

in  check  the  extortion,  injustice,  and  oppressions 
of  the  official  class,  compels  many  of  the  verdicts  of  the 
courts,  and  produces  some  vert"  democratic  developments  in 
this  long-lived 
despot  i c m o n- 
archy.  An  inci- 
dent related  by 
Dr.  Giles*  illus- 
trates the  meth- 
od by  which  the 
people  some- 
times rise  to  rule 
the  hour,  and  in- 
dicates the  rea- 
son why  an  offi- 
cial does  not  dare 
to  try  too  far  the 
endurance  of  his 
people. 

Dr.  Giles 


wri  tes,  “My 

house  and  gar-  GRE.4T  BELL  TEMPLE.  NE.\R  PEKING, 
den  were  on  an  eminence  over-looking  the  arsenal  (Foo- 
chow) which  was  about  a half  mile  disant.  One  morn- 
ing after  breakfast,  the  head  official  servant  came  to  tell  me 


* China  and  the  Chinese,  page  105. 


there  was  trouble  at  the  arsenal.  A military  mandarin,  em- 
plo3'ed  there  as  superintendent  of  some  department,  had 
that  morning  early  kicked  his  cook,  a boy  of  seventeen,  in  the 
stomach,  and  the  boy,  a weakly  lad,  had  died  within  an  hour. 
The  boj’^’s  widowed  mother  was  sitting  by  the  body  in  the 
mandarin’s  house,  and  a large  crowd  of  workmen  had  formed 
a complete  ring  outside,  quietly  awaiting  the  arrival  and 
decision  of  the  authorities. 

“By  five  o’clock  in  the  afternoon,  a deputy  had  arrived 
from  the  magistracy  at  Foochow,  twelve  miles  distant,  em- 
powered to  hold  the  usual  inquest  on  behalf  of  the  magistrate. 
The  inquest  was  duly  held,  and  the  verdict  was  ‘ accidental 
homicide.’ 

“In  shorter  time  than  it  takes  me  to  tell  the  story,  the  de- 
puty’s sedan-chair  and  paraphernalia  of  office  were  smashed 
to  atoms.  He  himself  was  seized,  his  official  hat  and  robe 
were  torn  to  shreds,  and  he  was  bundled  unceremoniously, 
not  altogether  unbruised,  through  the  back  door  and  through 
the  ring  of  onlookers,  into  the  paddy-fields  beyond.  Then 
the  ring  closed  up  again,  and  a low,  threatening  murmur 
broke  out  which  I could  plainly  hear  from  my  garden.  There 
was  no  violence,  no  attempt  to  lynch  the  man.  That  crowd 
remained  there  all  night,  encircling  the  murderer,  the  victim 
and  the  mother.  Bulletins  were  brought  to  me  every  hour, 
and  no  one  went  to  bed. 

“Meanwhile  the  news  reached  the  viceroy,  and  by  half-past 
nine  next  morning,  the  smoke  of  a .steam  launch  was  seen 
away  up  the  bends  of  the  river.  This  time  it  bore  the  dis- 
trict magistrate  himself,  with  instructions  from  the  viceroy 
to  hold  a new  inquest. 

“About  ten  o’clock  he  landed,  and  was  received  with  re- 
spectful silence.  By  eleven  o’clock  the  murderer’s  head  was 
off  and  the  crowd  had  dispersed.” 

FOREIGN  INTERCOURSE 

Through  the  centuries  in  which  the  “Star  of  Empire”  has 
been  pursuing  its  westward  course  by  way  of  bloody  battle* 

15 


Romans 


Persia 
and  India, 
500  A.  D. 
Greece  643 


fields,  through  the  rise  and  decline  of  mighty  empires,  and 
the  discovery  and  peopling  of  new  worlds,  China  has  con- 
tinued in  unbroken  course  her  national  existence.  What 
wonder  certain  of  her  people  looked  blank  when  told  that 
the  United  States  was  celebrating  her  one  hundredth  anni- 
versary! What  wonder  if  when  brought  into  contact  with 
the  West,  she  understood  the  West  as  little  as  the  aggressive 
West  understood  the  people  of  her  hoary  empire!  In  some 
periods  certain  portions  of  the  West  were  touched  by 
the  stirring  Chinese  people.  Their  records  show  that 
100  A.  D.  the  Chinese  knew  somewhat  of  the  Romans  in  the  first 
century.  Chinese  authors  mention  them  in  terms  of 
praise.  They  mention  the  Roman  gold  and  silver 
coin,  the  fact  that  they  have  only  one  price  for  their 
goods,  and  their  commerce  with  Persia  and  India.* 
In  the  beginning  of  the  sixth  century,  the  Emperor 
Marco  Polo  of  China  received  envoys  from  Persia  and  India,  and 
1264  the  Greek  Emperor  sent  an  envoy  in  643  A.  D.  Marco 

Polo  visited  China  in  the  reign  of  Kublai  Khan,  whose 
reign  began  in  1264.  He  was  received  with  honor  and 
his  writings  first  opened  the  eyes  of  the  west  to  the  wonders 
of  this  hitherto  almost  unkno^^■n  country  and  people. 
Kublai  Khan  was  himself  a foreigner,  the  second  ruler  of 
a ^Mongol  dynast which  began  its  swa}'  over  the 
Chinese  people  in  1235  and  was  overthrown  in  1368. 
After  the  overtlirow  of  the  Mongols,  the  Chinese 
ruled  under  the  ^ling  dynasty,  until  1644.  Then  the 
^lanchus,  who  also  are  foreigners,  seized  the  em- 
pire which  they  have  ruled  ever  since.  The  rulers 
being  themselves  foreigners  may  the  more  readily 
fear  the  encroachments  of  other  foreigners.  How- 
ever, there  is  nothing  to  indicate  that  China’s  first 
visitors  from  the  M’est  received  other  than  kind 
treatment  at  the  hands  of  her  rulers. 

The  Manchus,  owing  to  the  smallness  of  their  numbers  in 
this  vast  empire,  were  compelled  to  adopt  stringent  meas- 


Mongol 
Rule 
1235-1368 
A.  D. 

Manchu 

Rule 

1644  A.  D. 
to  Present 


* Williams’s  “ Middle  Kingdom.”  page  162. 


16 


ures  to  preserve  their  conquest.  They  carefully  closed  the 
ports  of  China  against  foreigners,  hoping  in  this  way  to 
secure  themselves  from  ambitious  nations. 

EARLY  CHRISTIAN  MISSIONARIES 
The  Nestorians  seem  to  have  entered  China  about  505  A.  D. 
The  only  record  of  their  presence  in  the  empire,  now  remain- 
ing, is  engi’aved  on  a tablet  of  marble  which  was  found  in 
Hsanfu  in  the  province  of  Shensi,  in  1625.  In  1859 
Nestorians  a Chinese  gentleman  showed  his  regard  for  the  tablet 
505  A.  D.  by  setting  it  up  and  building  a protection  about  it. 

In  the  breaking  up  of  the  Mongol  dynasty  (1368),  all 
trace  of  the  Nestorians  was  lo.st. 

The  first  Catholic  missionary  appeared  in  China  in  1288 
A.  D.  He  was  well  received  by  the  ilongol  Emperor,  and 
made  many  converts.  But  after  the  passing  of  the 
First  Mongol  dynasty,  little  is  heard  of  the  Catholic 

Catholics  missionaries,  until  1582.  From  that  date  to  the 

1288  present,  they  have  pursued  their  work  through 

varying  fortunes,  and  many  devoted  men  and  women 
are  on  the  roll  of  Catholic  missionaries  and  converts. 

In  considering  the  character  of  the  work  of  the  Roman 
Catholic  Church  and  its  relation  to  other  religious  agencies, 
it  is  well  to  remember  that,  apart  from  the  membership,  is 
the  great  hierarch]!  of  Pope  and  many  orders  of  priests;  that 
it  is  the  genius  of  the  hierarchy  to  scheme  for  civil  power; 
that  such  scheming  arrests  spiritual  development  in  the  Cath- 
olic Church  and  constitutes  the  church  a menace  to  all  govern- 
ments which  receive  her  missionaries,  and  a hindrance  to  Pro- 
testant missionary  operations.  To  prove  the  membership 
of  the  church  worthy  does  not  lessen  the  menace  of  the 
hierarchy. 

PROTESTANT  MISSIONS 
Protestant  mi.ssions  in  China  begun  with  the  appearance  of 
Robert  Morrison  on  the  southern  coast  of  China  in  the 
Robert  year  1807.  He  was  sent  out  by  the  London  Missionary 

Morrison  Society,  but  came  to  America  to  take  ship  for 

1807  China,  because  the  East  India  Company  objected  to 


17 


carrying  missionaries  on  their  vessels.  At  the  time  of  Dr. 
Morrison’s  arrival.  Canton  was  the  only  place  in  China 
where  foreigners  were  allowed  to  reside,  and  the  em- 
Closed  China  pire  was  sealed  against  any  incursions  of  foreigners 
into  her  territory. 

In  strictest  seclusion,  in  spite  of  disheartening  obstacles. 
Dr.  Morrison  gave  his  energies  to  the  study  of  the  language, 
the  compilation  of  a dictionary,  the  translation  of  the  Scrip- 
tures, and  to  the  i\Titing  of  many  books  and  tracts. 


DISTUICT  WORKERS,  1904,  CHUNGKING  DISTRICT 


Tliough  the  East  India  Company  would  not  transport  him 
to  China,  once  he  was  there,  its  representatives  in 
Canton  gave  him  countenance  and  support  which  enabled 
him  to  prosecute  his  work  in  security.  They  appointed  him 
translator  in  the  company  with  liberal  salary,  and  when 
Dictionary  the  dictionary  was  ready  for  the  press,  secured  its 
and  Bible  publication. 

The  New  Testament  was  published  in  1814,  and  the 
entire  Bible,  four  years  later.  In  1823  the  last  of  the  six 
volumes  of  the  dictionary  left  the  press. 

18 


Dr.  Morrison  had  reli|iious  services  with  the  members  of 
his  own  household,  but  never  was  privileged  to  see  the 
gathering  of  a congregation  for  worship  or  to  hear  the 
First  Con-  gospel.  He  baptized  his  first  convert  in  1814. 
vert  1814  Not  finding  direct  entrance  into  China,  the  6rst  mis- 
ssionaries  to  follow  Dr.  Morrison  gave  their  attention 
to  the  Chinese  scattered  through  the  islands  of  Malaysia,  and 
made  voyages  along  the  coast  of  China,  by  junk  or 
Island  and  foreign  ship,  on  which  voyages  they  distributed  hun- 
Coast  Work  dreds  of  thousands  of  tracts,  Testaments  and  other 
books.  The  first  of  these  voyages  was  made  in  1831. 
It  is  intere-sting  to  note  that  at  that  early  day  the  experience 
of  the  missionary  in  contact  wdth  the  people  of  China,  was  ex- 
actly what  has  been  the  almost  universal  experience  of  all 
missionaries  to  China.  They  found  the  people  sociable  and 
ready  to  receive  foreigners  “ when  they  could  do  so 
People  without  fear  of  their  rulers.”  Malicious  stories  have 
Friendly  been  widely  circulated,  and  appeals  against  foreigners 
have  been  made  to  the  superstitious  fears  of  the  people, 
which  have  decidedly  modified  this  experience,  but  it  remains 
true  that,  as  a rule  the  common  people,  unless  an  appeal  is 
made  to  their  fears,  are  not  hostile. 

After  twenty-seven  years  of  toil,  Robert  Morrison 
Death  of  died  in  Canton.  At  the  time  of  his  death.  Dr. 

Robert  Bridgman,  America’s  first  missionary  to  China  and 

Morrison  another  from  America,  Dr.  S.  W.  Williams,  author 
1834  of  The  Middle  Kingdom,  were  the  only  repre- 

sentatives of  any  missionary  society  then  in  China, 
and  there  were  only  three  members  for  the  church  which 
was  organized  the  following  year  (18351.  A day  of  small 
things  and  long  delayed  at  that! 

In  the  same  year  that  Robert  Morrison  died,  medical  work, 
supported  by  the  foreign  community  and  interested  natives, 
began  its  beneficent  career,  which  has  never  been  discontinued. 
It  is  odd  to  note  that  in  the  hospital  established  in  Canton, 
as  early  as  1835,  “ophthalmic  cases  and  surgical  opera- 
tions” were  its  chief  work,  for  in  some  parts  of  China  the 


1!) 


last  thing  a suspicious  Chinese  would  think  of,  would  be  to 
submit  his  body  to  a foreigner  with  a knife  in  his  hand. 
The  medical  work  made  favorable  impressions  concerning 
foreigners  and  helped  prepare  the  w'ay  for  brighter 
Medical  days  whose  dawning  began  soon  after  the  death  of 
Work  1834  Dr.  Morrison.  The  British  occupied  Hongkong 
and  later  on  stationed  a small  force  at  Amoy. 

In  1834,  when  the  East  India  Company  retired  from  China. 


JOHN  L.  HOPKINS  MEMORIAL  HOSPITAL,  PEKING 

a British  officer  was  sent  from  England  to  look  after  the  in- 
terests of  British  trade. 

.\t  the  same  time  the  Chinese  government  appointed  a com- 
missioner, who  undertook  not  only  to  suppress  smuggling  of 
opium,  which  was  extensively  practiced  at  Canton,  but  also 
to  stop  the  regular  importation  of  opium 

The  official  standing  and  powers  of  the  English  Super- 
Opium  War  intendent  of  Trade,  were  misunderstood  by  the  Chinese; 

and  he  was  subjected  to  indignities.  The  British  in 
Canton  were  willing  to  help  the  Chinese  commissioner  to  sup- 
press opium  smuggling,  and  they  finally  surrendered  immense 


20 


quantities  of  opium  to  the  Chinese  authorities;  but  the  Chinese, 
not  at  all  understanding  their  relations  to  foreign  people,  im- 
prisoned British  subjects  and  inflicted  them  with  other  insults 
and  injuries.  So,  out  of  misunderstanding  and  pride,  devel- 
oped the  conflict  known  as  the  Opium  War,  which  closed 
Treaty  of  with  the  Treaty  of  Nanking  in  1842,  in  which  treaty  the 
Nanking,  Chinese  government  recognized  the  right  of  foreigners 
1842  to  residence  and  trade  in  Canton  and  Amoy,  and 

extended  the  same  privilege  in  Foochow,  Ningpo, 
and  Shanghai,  thus  making  in  all,  five  open  ports  into  which 
missionaries  as  well  as  traders  were  privileged  to  enter.  In 
the  operations  which  led  to  the  signing  of  the  treaty. 
Missionary  missionaries  were  in  demand  as  interpreters.  Their 
Interpre-  services  as  such  disarmed  prejudice  in  foreign  circles 
ters  and  they  found  favor  among  the  natives  who  were 

glad  to  welcome  men  who  could  understand  and 
speak  their  language. 

One  who  reads  the  history  of  those  times  cannot  but  sym- 
pathize with  this  really  great  people,  in  the  bewilderment  with 
which  they  felt  the  grasp  of  this,  to  them,  rude  force  out  of 
the  west,  whose  manners  and  whose  language  were  alike  in- 
comprehensible. 

Possibly  brute  force  was  the  only  power  which  could  break 
through  the  shield  of  ignorance  and  arrogant  pride,  in  which 
ages  of  seclusion  had  encased  the  nation;  the  only  power  which 
could  open  up  her  vast  resources;  the  only  power  which 
could  make  China’s  great  people  accessible  to  the  “ one  thing 
needful” — the  gospel  of  Christ.  But  one  must  always  wish 
that,  when  China  listened  to  messages  from  people  flying  the 
colors  of  Christian  nations,  she  had  heard  more  concerning 
righteousness  and  less  of  trade  and  commerce. 


Mission- 
aries in 
Treaty 
Ports 


The  five  treaty  ports  were  soon  occupied  by  various 
missionary  societies,  and  a day  of  better  things  for 
missions  dawned  with  the  signing  of  the  Treaty  of 
Nanking;  so  have  military  and  commercial  move- 
ments been  providentially  used  to  serve  that  other 
movement  by  which  China  is  to  be  taken  for  Christ. 


21 


Hatred  and  fear  cf  foreigners  did  not  abate  with  the  signing 
of  a treaty  of  peace.  There  were  other  outrages,  other  mis- 
understandings, other  outbursts,  and  finally  more  open  war- 
fare, followed  bj"^  another  treaty — the  Treaty  of  Tientsin, 
signed  in  1858,  and,  after  more  bloodshed,  ratified  in  I860. 

Two  important  concessions  were  gained  by  this  treat}'. 

1 . Representatives  of  western  nations  were  granted  resi- 
dence in  Peking. 

2.  Provision  was  made  by  which  foreigners  might  have 
passports  to  travel  in  all  parts  of  China;  and  freedom  of  con- 
science was  granted  the  natives  with  a guarantee  that  they 
should  have  protection  in  the  exercise  of  their  faith. 

Missionaries  followed  the  diplomats,  and  in  1861  were 
established  in  the  capital  of  the  great  empire  as  well  as  in 
Tientsin,  the  port  of  entry  to  Peking. 

In  1873,  when  Tung  Chih  came  to  the  throne,  the  demand 
of  foreign  representatives  in  Peking  to  be  received  by  the  Em- 
peror himself,  and  without  prostrations,  such  as 
Missions  China  demanded  in  acknowledgment  of  the  sublime 
in  Peking  majesty  of  China’s  ruler  and  the  vassalage  of  all  other 
nations,  was  granted.  With  the  audience  given  .June 
29,  1873,  China  yielded  her  last  hold  on  the  theory  of  exclu- 
siveness, which  recognized  no  equals  among  the  nations  of 
the  earth  ; it  brought  the  Chinese  government  into  right  ad- 
justment to  the  courts  of  other  nations  ; smoothed  the  way 
for  future  intercourse  with  foreign  nations  and  indirectly 
advanced  the  cause  of  missions  in  China. 

The  Treaty  of  Nanking  had  given  missionaries  access  to  the 
multitudes  who  inhabited  the  five  ports  opened  to  foreigners 
by  that  treaty;  but  their  movements  were  practically 
Diplomatic  confined  to  those  five  cities,  and  the  hostility  of  the 
Movements  government  augmented  the  fears  of  the  people,  and 
and  naturally  prevented  their  coming  to  the  missionaries 

Missions  in  a receptive  attitude  of  mind  and  heart. 

The  freedom  of  movement  allowed  foreigners  by  the 
treaty  ratified  in  1860,  brought  the  mi.ssionaries  into  contact 
with  a larger  number  of  Chinese,  and  a better  understanding 

22 


ensued.  The  fact  that  their  government  allowed  such  freedom 
and  gave  foreigners  residence  in  tlie  capital,  in  a measure  dis- 
armed the  fears  of  the  people  and  awakened  an  interest  to  see 
and  hear  tlie  new-comers  from  the  west,  all  of  which  helped 
the  missionaries’  cause.  Then  when  the  Emperor  himself 
gave  audience  to  ministers  of  foreign  nations  and  recognized 
those  nations  as  ef|uals  and  not  vassals,  the  prestige  of  aU  for- 
eigners, including  mission.aries,  was  much  advanced. 

As  the  missionaries  moved  among  the  common  people, 
thej’  found  that  kindness  dispelled  fears;  and  where  hatred 
existed,  it  gave  way  before  patient  teaching,  and  respect  and 
cordiality  were  often  manifested. 

When  the  Treaty  of  Nanking  was  signed. 
After  First  there  had  been  thirty-five  years  of  missionary 

Thirty-five  Years  labor  and  only  sLx  converts;  and  there  were 
then  only  two  missionaries  of  Prote.stant  churches 
in  all  China. 

By  the  close  of  the  next  thirty-five  years  (1877)  missionary 
agencies  had  so  increased  that  a missionary  conference  was 
possible.  Twenty-five  societies  (ten,  American)  had  458 
missionaries  on  the  field,  and  besides  there  were  fifteen  other 
workers,  making  in  all  473;  and  there  were  connected  with 
the  various  missions  of  the  twenty-five  societies,  nearly 
14,000  converts.  However,  only  nine  provinces  had  been 
entered  in  1877. 

Tlie  civil  war  in  America  developed  a force  which  has 
since  swung  into  line  to  mightily  reinforce  the  mission  field. 
The  crisis  arou.sed  the  womanhood  of  the  country  to  the 
use  of  powers  of  organization,  public  speech  and 
Women’s  general  executive  ability,  which  they  had  here- 

Missionary  tofore  not  known  that  they  possessed.  In  the 

Organizations  widespread  organization  of  soldiers’  aid  socie- 
ties, and  the  system  of  diet  kitchens,  under 
iirs.  Anna  Wittenmeyer,  which  followed  the  armies  and 
served  every  ho.spital,  and  by  less  extensive  agencies,  these 
powers  were  developed  and  trained.  l\'hen  the  war  was 

2.3 


over,  -women  had  leanied  the  lessons  which  fitted  them  for 
the  next  service  of  love,  and  women’s  missionary  societies 
sprung  into  being,  just  when  the  missionaries  in  China  were 
made  more  free,  and  the  work  there  called  for  single  women 
laborers.  At  the  time  of  the  Missionary  Conference  in 
Shanghai  (1877),  sixty-three  of  the  four  hundred  and  seventy- 
three  missionaries  then  in  China,  were  single  women;  and  the 
pulpit,  class  room,  printing  press  and  hospital,  all  had  their 
representatives  also  on  the  missionary  roll.  In  1900,  the 
missionary  roll  numbered  2,7So,  and  there  were  112,808 
native  converts. 

Though  the  speed  of  missionary  progress  had  constantly 
accelerated,  yet  the  movement  was  so  slow  that  it  was  only 
by  looking  back  and  comparing  present  re.sults  with  those 
of  a decade  or  more  ago,  that  one  could  be  made  to  realize 
how  very  encouraging  the  progress  had  been. 

Where  once  had  been  no  place  in  which  to  preach,  now  were 
hundreds  of  chapels  and  churches,  and  thousands  of  hearers 


THE  ROGERS  DAY  SCHOOL  FOR  GIRLS. 

fed  with  the  Word  of  Life  by  native  as  well  as  missionary 
pastors  ; where  once  had  been  groups  of  six  or  more  heathen 
boys  intoning  catechism  and  classic  primer,  were  now  sys- 
24 


terns  ofCliristian  schools,  from  kindergarten  to  college  course. 
Hospitals  and  dispensaries  were  prospering  in  many  large  cen- 
ters; printing  presses  sending  out  floods  of  Bibles,  periodicals, 
tracts  and  books  all  o\"er  the  eighteen  provinces;  and  both 
schools  and  hospitals  for  girls  and  women,  of  later  years, 
keeping  pace  with  other  agencies. 

But  what  was  to  be  seen  of  outward  results  was 
Unseen  little  compared  with  the  great  unseen  leavening  which 

Leavening  was  quietly  permeating  the  whole  mass  and  would 
some  day  bring  to  view  sudden  and  vast  results. 

During  the  great  famine  of  1877-8,  whose  death  rate  Dr. 
Williams  says  is  not  equaled  “ in  any  history  of  any  other 
land,”  large  sums  of  money  for  relief  of  the  sufferers  were 
sent  from  Christian  nations;  and  regular  organized  forces  of 
foreigners  distributed  relief  over  the  stricken  provinces.  Four 
missionaries,  exhausted  by  their  labors  and  the  agonizing 
scenes  among  which  they  labored,  fell  victims  to  the  fever 
which  follows  famine,  and  so  gave  their  lives  for  the  people. 
These  ministrations  and  the  sympathetic  interest 
Famine  expressed  by  the  Christian  world  in  sending  to  China 
of  1877-8  money  for  the  relief  of  the  famishing  millions,  worked 
mightily  to  make  welcome  the  missionaries  through  the 
country  and  to  create  a confidence  in  the  disinterested  motives 
of  the  Christian  people.  For  obvious  reasons,  no  gathering 
in  of  converts  was  attempted  in  the  regions  where  relief  was 
in  progress;  but  the  hearts  of  many  of  the  people  were  won 
and  an  impression  was  made  by  this  philanthropic  work, 
which  prepared  the  way  for  the  rapid  multiplication  of 
results  which  followed  the  preaching  of  the  gospel  later  on. 

MISSIONS  OF  THE  METHODIST  EPISCOPAL 
CHURCH 

Shortly  after  the  provisions  of  the  Treaty  of  Xanking  had 
brightened  a bit  the  outlook  for  missions,  and  before  the  Tai- 
ping  rebellion  began  its  strange  and  devastating  career, 
Beginning  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  began  work  in  China 
1847  by  placing  two  men  in  Foochow,  and  appropriating 
S3,000  for  their  support  and  travelling  e.xpenses. 

Judson  Dwight  Collins,  of  Michigan,  who,  in  face  of  opposi- 
25 


tion  had  exclaimed,  “ Engage  me  a place  before  the  mast,  and 
my  own  strong  arms  shall  pull  me  to  China  and  support  me 
there,’’  and  !Moses  C.  White  were  the  pioneers.  After  a voy- 
age of  nearh'  five  months,  they  arrived  at  their  destina- 
tion, September  4,  1847. 

Missionaries  of  the  American  Board  had  preceded  them  to 
Foochow,  so  they  were  not  quite  alone  in  the  field.  They  be- 
gan at  once  the  study  of  the  language  and  to  call  for 
Foochow  reinforcements.  Robert  S.  McClay,  afterward  founder 
Reinforced  of  the  Japan  missions,  joined  them  in  1848,  and  three 
years  later,  1851,  I.  W.  Wiley,  afterwards  Bishop 
M'iley,  reinforced  the  missions.  Harry  Hickok  and  ■wife  went 
out  with  Robert  S.  5IcClay,  but,  because  of  ill  health,  returned 
to  the  States  the  following  year. 

From  the  start  the  missionaries  had  dispensan,’  work  and 
distributed  tracts.  In  1848  a boys’  school,  with  eight  pupils, 
was  opened,  and  also  a girls’  school,  with  ten  pupils.  It  was 
ten  years  before  the  mission  had  the  joy  of  receivins  its  first 
convert.  In  the  meantime,  many  discouragements  arose. 

Mr.  Collins  sickened  and  returned  home  in  1851,  and  died 
soon  after.  Mr.  White  had  to  go  home  with  iirs.  White 
who  was  broken  in  health.  Then  the  Taiping  rebellion 
obliged  all  who  could  go,  to  seek  safetv  in  Hongkong.  Only 
Dr.  and  Mrs.  Wiley  were  left,  and  Mrs.  Wiley  soon  died.  Then 
Dr.  AViley  returned  to  the  United  States. 

Undaunted  by  discouraging  conditions,  the  missionary  au- 
thorities sent  recruits  to  the  help  of  Foochow  mission.  Eras- 
tus  M'entworth  and  Otis  Gibson — that  stalwart  who  battled 
so  valiantly  for  the  Chinese  in  San  Francisco  after  his  work 
in  Foochow  was  ended — arrived  in  1855. 

Two  years  later  the  first  convert  was  received,  and  from 
that  time  forward,  a constant  flow  of  visible  re.sults  rewarded 
the  labors  of  our  pioneer  missionaries.  The  year  1857  gave 
them  the  joy  of  baptizing  thirteen  adults  and  three 
First  infants  ; and  in  1858,  a little  church  organization  was 

Convert  effected.  In  this  same  year  the  hearts  of  the  workers, 
1857  in  this,  the  far-off  field  were  gladdened  by  the  arrival 

of  Stephen  L.  Baldwin,  whose  talents  gave  him  a place 
26 


of  great  influence  and  responsibility  in  the  Home  Cluirch, 
and  whose  loving  kindness  endeared  him  to  all  who  had  in- 
tercourse with  him. 

With  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Baldwin,  arrived  the  sisters,  Miss  Beulah 
and  Miss  Sarah  Woolston,  women  of  unusual  talent  and  cul- 
ture, who,  under  the  direction  of  the  General  Society,  pio- 
neered the  way  for  the  Woman’s  Foreign  Missionary  Society, 
to  whose  roll  their  names  were  transferred,  and  into  whose 
care  their  work  was  given  in  1871 . 


PILCHER  H.VLL,  PEKING  UNIVERSITY 
Over  the  lines  usually  followed  in  mission  fields,  the  mis- 
sion work  advanced  with  ever  increasing  hopefulness.  Preach- 
ing in  city  and  around  circuits;  boarding  and  day  schools  for 
boys  and  for  girls;  Sunday  schools  and  the  printing  press, 
each  added  its  quota  to  the  multiplying  results  of  the  mission’s 
activity. 

In  1862  the  mission  forces  convened  in  their  first  annual 
meeting.  At  that  date  there  were  on  the  field  six  married 
missionaries  and  two  single  women.  The  church  member- 
ship numbered  thirty-two,  and  there  were  eleven  native  help- 
ers. One  of  the  missionaries,  Nathan  Sites,  had  made  a new 
departure  and,  with  a devotion  which  marked  his  whole  mis- 

27 


[u  p^iJeIIj  /V  /°'-r\>-^y  i!- V X ^ 

il-cUlMOHs^o--  oA*£ijjS!^S8f^*'  'c  ^ A 0°  Of 


i C H 



\s  A \ 

iH 

CHINESE 

EMPIRE 


fiCALtorMats 
9 200  loa 


iZO 


IZ5 


UO 


sionary  course,  had  established  his  home  twenty-five  miles 
from  the  mission  group  in  the  city,  and  from  there  was  extend- 
ing his  preaching  trips  150  miles  further,  thus  by  his  own 
choice  cutting  himself  from  his  daily  intercourse  with  his  own 
people,  and  giving  his  time  exclusively  to  the  natives. 

Five  years  after  the  annual  meeting,  the  number  of  con- 
verts had  increased  to  450,  and  four  now  well  known  names 
were  added  to  the  missionary  roll;  Virgil  C.  Hart,  Elbert  S. 
Todd,  Lucius  N.  Wheeler,  and  Hiram  H.  Lowry. 

Then  came  the  time  when  the  Missionary  Society  deter- 
mined to  establish  its  agents  in  the  vast  territory  occupied 
by  the  many  millions  who  speak  the  Mandarin  or  Court 
New  Fields  dialect. 

Accordingly,  Virgil  C.  Hart  and  Elbert  S.  Todd  were 
stationed  at  Kiukiang,  five  hundred  miles  up  the  Yangtse 
River,  from  which  point  the  great  provinces  Nganhwei,  Hupei 
and  Kiangsi,  with  their  population  of  85,000,000,  were  accessi- 
ble. With  the  establishment  of  a station  in  Kiukiang  be- 
gan the  work  which  was  later  organized  as  the  Central  China 
Mission. 

In  1869,  the  same  year  which  saw  the  birth  of  “ The  Woman’s 
Foreign  Missionary  Society,”  L.  N.  Wheeler  and  Hiram  H. 
Lowry  journeyed  from  the  far  south,  and  began  the  Methodist 
pioneer  work  in  Peking,  the  capital  of  the  empire,  and  in  a 
latitude  nearly  the  same  as  that  of  Philadelphia.  And  so  was 
made  the  beginning  of  the  North  China  Mission. 

Bishop  Kingsley  visited  the  China  posts  in  1869  and  ar- 
ranged that  Foochow,  Kiukiang  and  Peking  should  each  be 
the  headquarters  of  a separate  mission,  known  re- 
Three  spcctively  as  “South  China,”  “Central  China”  and 

Missions  “North  China”  Mi.ssions.  In  the  following  year, 
two  recruits  reinforced  each  of  the  three  missions  : 
Nathan  J.  Plumb  and  Franklin  Ohlinger,  were  sent  to  South 
China  ; John  Ing  and  Henry  Hall  to  Central  China  ; and 
George  R.  Davis  and  Leander  W.  Pilcher  to  North  China. 
This  group  of  missionaries  crossed  the  United  States  by  waj' 
of  the  Union  Pacific  Railroad,  then  recently  completed. 

30 


Heretofore  the  missionaries’  route  had  been  by  way  of  “the 
Cape,”  and  later  by  w'ay  of  Panama.  Increased  transporta- 
tion facilities  also  worked  to  speed  the  missionary  cause. 

The  Woman’s  Foreign  Missionary  Societj’’  sent  its  first  mis- 
sionaries to  India.  They  had  three  there  when,  in  1871,  they 
sent  four  to  China. 

The  sisters,  Beulah  and  Sarah  Woolston,  were  adopted  by 
the  Woman’s  Board,  while  at  home  on  a vacation;  and  in  1871, 
they  returned  to  their  old  work,  to  be  conducted 
W.  F.  M.  S.  thereafter  under  the  auspices  of  the  Woman’s  Board; 

1871  and  in  their  company  went  Maria  Brown,  from  New 

England  Branch,  and  Mary  Porter  from  the  Western 
Branch,  (whose  territory  is  now  divided  between  the  Des 
Moines,  Minnesota  and  Topeka  Branches,)  bound  for  North 
China. 

The  party  arrived  on  the  coast  of  China  after  navigation 
was  closed;  and  the  vessels  plying  between  southern  ports 
and  the  north,  were  already  off  on  the  last  trip  of  the  season. 

That  such  a failure  to  make  connections  could  occur,  indi- 
cates how  limited  the  knowledge  of  conditions  in  China  was 
among  the  people  of  the  United  States;  and  besides  shows  how 
limited  transportation  facilities  in  China  were  at  that  time. 

In  tho.se  days,  mail  from  the  west  only  arrived  once  a 
month,  and  every  stamp  cost  ten  cents;  and  papers  and  peri- 
odicals, bound  for  the  north,  accumulated  in  Shanghai  all 
winter,  to  go  north  in  a bunch  by  the  first  steamer  after  the 
opening  of  navigation  in  early  spring. 

The  Misses  Brown  and  Porter  spent  the  winter  in  Foochow, 
and  went  north  in  the  spring. 

Gertrude  Howe  and  Lucy  Hoag  were  sent  to  Central  China 
in  1872.  Thus  the  Woman’s  Board  had  its  representatives 
in  each  of  three  missions. 

In  1873,  they  sent  Lucinda  Combs,  M.  D.,  to  Peking,  and 
their  first  medical  missionary  opened  their  first  dispen- 
First  sary  and  hospital  for  women  and  children.  In  1877 

Woman  Leonora  Howard,  M.  D.,  arrived  in  Peking  and  after- 

Physician  wards,  at  the  call  of  Lady  Li,  wife  of  the  Viceroy  L. 

Hung  Chang,  went  to  Tientsin.  There  she  won  fame 
31 


and  the  lifelong  affection  and  confidence  of  Lady  Li,  by  the 
skillful  professional  services  she  rendered  her  ladyship.  Lady 
Id  furnished  and  paid  the  expenses  of  a large  dispensary 
near  her  home,  and  under  the’care  of  Dr.  Howard. 

A munificent  gift  from  Dr.  Goucher,  whose  missionary  in- 
terest compa.sses  the  world,  built  a beautiful  and  commodious 
hospital  for  women  and  girls  in  Tientsin,  which  was  dedicated 
to  the  memory  of  Isabella  Fisher,  and  whose  benefi- 
Isabella  cent  work  has  continued  through  the  years,  bringing 
Fisher  blessings  of  restored  health  and  release  from  pain  to 
Hospital  thousands;  and  giving  them  besides  the  choicest  bless- 
ing of  ah — the  gospel’s  message  of  salvation  through 
Christ. 

Other  physicians,  women  and  men,  were  added  to  the  corps 
of  workers  in  each  of  the  three  missions,  and  other  generous 
friends  built  hospitals  and  gave  large  sums  to  help  the  soci- 
eties build  churches  and  .school houses,  which  midtiplied  in 
ah  the  missions. 

In  1877,  the  Sotith  China  Mission  became  the  Foochow 
Conference.  At  that  time  there  were  connected 
First  Annual  with  the  mission  five  missionaries  of  the  General 
Conference  1877  Society  and  seventy-six  native  preachers,  and 
1,241  native  church  members;  besides  these,  were 
the  wives  of  the  five  missionaries  and  three  missionaries  of 
the  Woman’s  Board. 

Another  advance  was  made  by  the  Missionary  Board  in  1881 ; 
and  Dr.  Wheeler,  who  had  left  North  China  for  America,  on 
account  of  his  health,  was  sent  to  found  a mission  beyond  the 
rapids  and  gorges  of  the  upper  Yangtse,  1,600  miles  from  the 
coast,  in  the  Empire  province  of  Szchuen.  Dr.  Wheeler 
and  family,  with  Rev.  and  Mrs.  Spencer  Lewis  and  Dr.  and 
Mrs.  Crews,  were  the  pioneers  of  the  far-away  mission,  with 
headquarters  in  Chungking,  a wealthy  city  and 
West  China  important  trade  center,  of  200,000  inhabitants.  Dr. 

1881  AVheeler’s  daughter  Frances,  on  leaving  school  in  the 

United  States,  was  sent  by  the  Woman’s  Board  to 
West  China,  where  she  remained  when  the  family  again  left 
China  on  account  of  Dr.  Wheeler’s  health.  Frank  D.  Game- 


32 


well  was  sent  from  North  China,  to  take  Dr.  Wlieeler’s  place 
in  West  China,  where  he  and  his  wife  spent  two  eventful 
years,  and  then,  after  a furlough  home,  returned  to  North 
China. 

Miss  Howe,  who  had  been  so  long  connected  with  the  Central 
China  Mission,  went  at  the  .same  time  to  join  Miss  Wheeler. 
She  also  returned  to  Central  China,  after  the  riots  of  1886  had 
destroyed  all  mission  property,  and  driven  the  missionaries 
out  of  the  province;  and  Miss  Wheeler  joined  her  there,  after 
a visit  to  America.  Their  places  were  filled  by  others  on  the 
re-e.stablishment  of  the  mission.  These  changes  are  interest- 


THE  HIRONS  DAY  SCHOOL  FOR  GIRLS 
ing  because  they  illustrate  certain  facts  concerning  the  lan- 
guage. While  the  Foochow  Conference  and  Hinghua  Mission 
lie  in  the  region  of  local  dialects,  the  three  other  missions  and 
conferences  command  practically  one  language.  Their 
boundaries  are  within  the  limits  of  the  provinces  where 
the  Mandarin,  or  Court  dialect,  is  spoken.  So  one  going 
from  Peking  to  Chungking,  a journey  which  requires  more 
time  than  is  needed  for  a trip  from  Shanghai  to  New 
York,  is  able  to  converse  at  once  with  educated  natives;  and 
the  same  is  true  of  those  who  come  up  the  river  from  Cen- 
33 


tral  China,  thougli  the  speech  of  the  uneducated  people  of 
West  China  contains  so  many  localisms,  as  to  make  practi- 
cally a distinct  dialect,  and  the  missionary  must  learn  to 
speak  it  in  order  to  communicate  directly  with  the  common 
people. 

From  year  to  year  progress  in  the  missions  has  seemed 
slow,  but  when  one  looks  down  all  the  years  to  the  beginning 
of  our  mission  work,  and  follows  it  through  changing  condi- 
tions, over  obstacles  and  through  hindrances,  to  its  present 
development,  the  advance  appears  swift  and  mar- 
institutions  velous.  From  schools  of  a half  dozen  or  more  boys. 

Developed  gathered  from  heathen  homes,  have  developed  great 

Christian  institutions  such  as  the  Anglo-Chinese  Col- 
lege in  Foochow;  the  Kiukiang  Institute,  and  the  Nanking 
Tmiversit)'  on  the  Yangtse;  the  Peking  University  in  the  north; 
the  high  schools  in  West  China;  and  the  sj'stems  of  schools 
which  prepare  pupils  for  these  institutions;  besides  the  schools 
of  the  Woman’s  Board,  from  primary  to  high  school. 

Formerly  the  missionary  was  the  only  preacher,  and  his 
hearers  all  heathen;  now  there  are  organized  conferences  of 
native  preachers  and,  in  all  the  centers  of  conferences  and 
missions,  hundreds  of  Christians  assemble  in  Sunday  services, 
and  take  part  in  the  prayer  and  class  meetings. 

The  heathen  are  gathered  in  the  Sunday  schools,  a thousand 
or  more  in  one,  as  in  Peking,  and  Christian  young  men  and  wo- 
men from  the  mission  schools,  are  their  teachers. 

All  over  the  country,  around  these  centers,  so  laboriously 
traveled  in  search  of  hearers  through  pioneer  da3's,  are  chapels 
and  school  houses,  where  graduates  of  the  universities  and 
high  schools  preside. 

In  North,  South,  Central  and  West  China,  there  are  great 
hospitals  and  numerous  dispensaries  of  both  the  General 
Society  and  the  Woman’s  Board,  and  Bible  schools  and  training 
schools  for  both  se.xes  all  thronged  by  natives,  who  are  being 
brought,  through  the  work  of  these  institutions,  into  intelli- 
gent relations  to  the  whole  world.  There  is  the  F oochow  print- 
ing press,  which,  in  one  year,  sent  forth  24,031, .545  pages  of 
literature  to  do  its  .share  of  the  leavening  work. 

34 


AVLth  the  development  of  institutions  in  the  missions,  great 
changes  have  occurred  in  the  conditions  attending  missionary 
labors.  'Wliereas,  in  the  pioneer  days  of  each  mission,  all 
work  was  confined  to  efforts  to  get  into  sympathetic 
Christian  touch,  or  come  to  some  degree  of  understanding 
Communities  with  heathen  people;  now  a missionary  will  find 
large  Clwistian  communities  at  these  missionary  centers, 
homes  of  native  Christians  to  welcome  him;  and  intelligent, 
cultivated  natives  ready  for  comradeship  on  a basis  of 
mutual  under.standing.  In  classrooms,  churches  and  hospi- 
tals, everywhere  native  men  and  women,  some  the  third 
generation  of  Christians,  greet  him. 

If  a new  missionary  were  so  disposed,  he  now  might  find 
full  employment  for  all  his  time  among  the  Christians,  and 
never  come  in  contact  with  the  pioneer  phase  of  the  work 
which  deals  directly  with  the  heathen  or  Christless  Chinese. 

If  the  outward  development  is  so  marvelous,  how  much 
more  is  that  inward  development  of  Christian  character, 
which  makes  the  other  development  possible,  and  gives  to  it 
its  worth. 

A great  testing  time  came  to  thousands  of  Chinese  Chris- 
tians in  1900;  and  they  who  only  thirty  years  before,  had  not 
so  much  as  heard  the  name  of  Jesus,  went  down  before  the 
slaughterer  by  the  hundreds,  rather  than  deny  their  faith  in 
Him.  Men,  women,  boys  and  girls  gave  their  lives  for  the 
faith.  And  when  the  .storm  had  swept  by,  there  were  those 
who  sought  father  and  mother,  brother  and  sisters  and  the 
old  home,  only  to  find  parents  and  brothers  and  sisters  slain, 
and  the  home  destroyed;  and  then  in  all  compassion,  they 
preached  the  gospel  to  people  who  had  bereft  them.  Chenn 
Wei  Ping,  son  of  North  China’s  first  preacher,  is  now  preaching 
in  the  city  where  his  father  was  preaching  when  the  perse- 
cutors slew  him. 

Nearly  all,  who  survived  the  persecution,  lost  relatives  in 
the  great  slaughter.  There  were  many  orphans  among  the 
pupils  in  the  schools;  and  many  whose  homes  were  totally 
destroyed.  What  wonder,  if  in  the  bitterness  and  grief  of 
those  chaotic  days  which  followed  in  the  wake  of  the  storm, 

35 


some  had  cried  against  a Faith  that  had  brought  them 
Christians  into  such  direful  straits!  \Miat  wonder,  if  there  had 
T ested  been  brooding  over  wrongs,  and  thoughts  of  vengeance 

working  havoc  in  Christian  hearts. 


Fmm  Chinw  Iferotg,  Headlatni.  By  permtsaon  of  Eaton  A Main*:. 

TOU  LIEN  MING. 


The  fact  is.  when  a reorganization  of  forces  was  effect- 
ed, when  out  of  the  chaos  of  those  terrible  days  somewhat  of 
order  was  restored,  at  once  revival  work  commenced.  The 
faith  of  the  broken  church  was  refreshed  and  strengthened. 


.36 


and  new  accessions  more  than  filled  the  vacancies  left  by  the 
persecution. 

\ revival  is  now  sweeping  the  eastern  districts  so  recently 
desolated  by  fire  and  sword.  Letters  from  there  relate  that, 
in  these  revivals,  a deep  sense  of  a holy  Presence  often 
reduces  a whole  congregation  to  tears  at  once;  tears  of  joy 
for  the  renewed  believer.  “Every  convert  at  once  seeks  the 
unconverted  and  there  are  convictions,  tears,  prayers  and  re- 
joicings. ” 

The  genuineness  of  the  Chinese  Christians  has  been  proven 
by  terrible  testings  ; with  cheerful  devotion  they  bore  the 
toils  and  perils  of  the  siege  of  Peking,  under  the  observation 
of  many  critics  of  missions;  and  when  the  trial  was  over,  the 
former  critics  hastened  to  bear  witness  to  the  sterling  char- 
acter of  the  converts. 

In  the  great  persecution.  Chinese  Christians  went  to  their 
death  rather  than  let  go  their  hold  on  Jesus. 

And,  when  the  call  for  w'ork  in  the  reorganized  church 
rang  out,  the  renewed  believer  and  recent  convert  were  alike 
ready. 

The  whole  world  now  knows  that  the  Chinese  Christians  are 
stalwarts  and  genuine. 

PRESENT  CONDITIONS 

The  Treaty  of  Nanking,  the  Treaty  of  Tientsin  and  the  con- 
clusion of  the  audience  questions,  each  marked  a distinct 
period  in  diplomatic  and  commercial  relations  between  China 
and  the  West;  and  through  these  periods,  the  missionary 
movement  pressed  steadily,  though  slowly,  forward. 
Treaties  its  fortunes  inextricably  associated  with  those  other 
and  movements  and  advanced  by  them  The  fact  that 

Missions  Christian  missions  were  mentioned  and  provided  for, 
in  those  Treaties  made  by  Western  governments  with 
the  Chinese  government,  no  doubt  brought  the  missionaries 
under  suspicion  of  being  agents  of  their  respective  govern- 
ments; and  in  so  far  as  that  suspicion  prevailed,  it  hindered 
the  work  of  missions. 


37 


On  the  other  hand,  when  the  armies  of  the  West  opened  the 
doors  of  China  to  the  diplomats  and  the  traders,  they  at  the 
same  time  prepared  the  way  for  the  missionary,  and  without 
the  privileges  contained  in  the  treaties  which  the  armies  ex- 
torted, the  missionary  enterprise  could  not  so  soon  have 
reached  its  present  development. 

The  year  1898  marked  the  beginning  of  another  distinct 
period.  Starting  with  that  j’ear,  a succession  of  astounding 
events  have  raced  across  the  field  of  China  before  the 
New  Period  startled  gaze  of  the  West,  and  developed  and  inten- 
1898  sified  with  constantly  accelerated  speed,  until  just 
now  there  is  nothing  on  earth  moving  quite  so  fast, 
as  this  long-time-called-slow  old  China, 

Through  all  these  developments  is  seen  the  missionarj' 
cause  advanced,  halted,  threatened,  released,  and  then  set 
down  before  such  possibilities  of  advance,  as  should  thrill 
the  Christian  world,  and  call  the  whole  church  into  instant 
and  unceasing  action. 

When  Japan  was  seen  to  be  adopting  things  W'estern,  China 
called  her  people  “make-believe  foreign  devils,”  and  possibly 
despised  her  more  than  she  despised  the  real  foreign 
Japan’s  devils.  But  her  disesteemed  little  neighbor,  made 

Influence  powerful  by  the  lessons  learned  from  the  people  of  the 

West,  went  over  and  all  too  easily  vanquished  China  in 
battle. 

Then  China  opened  her  eyes  and  began  to  study  the  ques- 
tion as  to  whether  there  were  not  lessons  which  it  would  be 
for  her  advantage  to  learn  from  the  West. 

Russia,  Germany,  England  and  France  fortified  themselves 
on  Chinese  territory;  and  the  foreign  press  discussed  the  dis- 
memberment of  China.  More  and  more,  China  was  made  to 
feel  desperately  the  need  of  doing  something  to  save  herself. 
The  powerful  Chang  Chih  Tung  wrote  a book,  which  was 
Reform  widely  circulated,  in  which  he  advised  reform  measures. 
Edicts  Then  out  of  the  seclusion  of  the  palace  issued 

those  remarkable  reform  edicts  of  the  Emperor,  which 
startled  not  only  his  own  empire,  but  the  rest  of  the  world 
as  well. 


38 


And  no  less  startling  than  the  edicts  themselves,  was  the 
large  and  immediate  following  which  the  young  Emperor  had. 
By  his  edicts,  a university  was  established  in  Peking;  bureaus 
of  commerce  and  mines  and  railroads  were  formed.  Si.x 
powerful  but  unnecessary  government  offices  were  closed. 
Schools  were  opened  in  the  provinces,  and  the  Buddhist  tem- 
ples were  used  as  schoolhouses.  And  so,  through  a long 
series  of  edicts,  the  Emperor  found  a prompt  following.  Prob- 
ably no  edict  promulgated  by  the  Emperor  was  more  remark- 
able than  that  which  discontinued  the  literary  essay  in  the 
civil  ser\dce  examinations,  and  sub.stituted  for  it  questions  on 
science,  mathematics,  engineering,  etc. 

For  years  past,  leading  men  of  the  empire  had  studied  the 
We.st,  and  after  a season  abroad,  returned  to  China,  hoping  to 


CHUNGKING  INSTITUTE,  OR  BOYS’  HIGH  SCHOOL. 

be  able  to  arouse  the  government  to  the  pressing  need  of  more 
enlightened  courses.  Then  having  effected  an  almost  imper- 
ceptible fraction  of  what  they  had  hoped  for,  have  died  disap- 
pointed; but  in  each  case  a little  advance  was  made.  Con- 
stantly, quietly,  the  attentions  of  a younger  China  were  bent 
upon  the  West.  Many  men  of  means  went  abroad  to  study, 
and  with  those  for  a while  attached  to  the  many  Chinese 
legations  established  in  foreign  countries,  returned  to  China 
to  form  there  a steadily  increasing  class  of  young  Chinese,  in- 
telligent enough  to  see  China’s  need  of  reform,  and  earnest  in 
their  desire  to  see  China  make  a place  for  herself  among  the 


39 


nations  of  the  earth  commensurate  with  her  talents,  resources 
and  powers. 

To  the  surprise  even  of  foreigners  who  knew  China  best, 
thousands  of  the  younger  generation  of  China,  and  not  a few 
of  the  older  wise  men  of  power,  stepped  into  line  to  follow  the 
Emperor's  lead.  A tremor  of  new  life  was  felt  all  over  the 
empire.  Deadly  hostility  was  there  too,  but  it  was  hidden 
for  a while. 

As  in  every  former  period,  the  tlu-oes  of  this  new  period 
affected  strongly  the  work  of  the  missionaries.  The\'  pos- 


E.\TR.\XCE  TO  EXAMINATION  BOOTHS,  NANKING. 

sessed  the  books  and  the  knowledge  whieli  future  candidates 
for  examination  must  acquire;  so  to  the  missionaries  came 
many  of  the  literati  to  purchase  books  and  ask  questions, 
and  subscribe  for  peri(>dicals,  and  some  entered  classes  of 
certain  missionary  institutions.  By  such  means,  a leavening 
of  better  understanding  was  spread  in  literary  circles,  and 
missionary  as  well  as  secular  journalism  received  an  impetus. 

The  demand  for  books  in  the  palace  ahnost  emptied  the 
40 


shelves  of  the  Bible  societies’  Peking  store-house,  and  those  of 
the  Mission  Depository  as  well. 

A Chinese  gentleman  purchased  a phonograph  from  the 
Peking  University  for  the  palace.  Rumors  to  the  effect  that 
the  Emperor  was  a student  of  the  Bible,  and  was  con- 
Phonographs  templating  cutting  off  the  queue  and  adopting  the 
and  Moving  Western  costume  and  many  others  as  startling,  were 
Pictures  rife  over  the  city.  Finally  “ The  Society  for  the 

Diffusion  of  Useful  Ivnowledge,”  brought  to  Peking  a 
cabinet  of  pictures  showing  moving  trains  and  similar  won- 
ders and  by  invitation  of  his  majesty  arranged  to  set  the 
pictures  mo\’ing  before  the  Emperor. 

Just  one  day  before  the  day  set  for  this  remarkable  enter- 
tainment a sharp  sudden  halt  was  called  to  all  the  exhilar- 
ating movements  of  the  preceding  few  months. 

The  city  awoke  to  find  the  Emperor  in  prison,  the  Empress 
Dowager  on  the  throne,  the  heads  of  five  young  reformers  al- 
ready off,  and  K.ang  Yii  Wei  a refugee,  with  a price 
Reaction  on  his  head,  because  he,  as  tutor  to  the  Emperor,  had 
stimulated  and  instructed  his  sovereign  over  the  re- 
markable course  he  had  been  running. 

The  reformers  went  into  hiding.  By  other  edicts,  the  Em- 
press Dowager  annulled  the  reform  edicts  of  the  young  Em- 
peror, and  made  it  a crime  to  introduce  new  ideas  into  the 
regular  examinations.  Tung  Fu  Hsiang,  in  command  of 
the  imperial  troops,  proposed  to  “drive  the  foreigners  into  the 
sea”  and  destroy  all  their  works  in  the  land.  The  reaction- 
aries’ program  contemplated  retracing  the  steps,  by  which 
foreign  representatives  had  been  given  audience  in  Peking, 
by  which  the  Treaty  of  Tientsin,  and  before  that  the  Treaty 
of  Nanking,  had  opened  China’s  doors  to  foreigners. 

It  would  be  strange  if  such  violence  of  action  and  reaction 
did  not  produce  mighty  disturbances  in  an  empire. 

From  the  beginning  of  missionary  operations  in  China, 
the  common  expectation  of  foreigners  concerning  China  was 
expressed  in  the  phrase — “ The  leavening  process  will  quietly 
do  its  work,”  and  China  will  quietly  rise  and  shine  in  her  ap- 
pointed place  among  Christian  nations. 

41 


The  rising  proved  to  be  more  after  the  fasliion  of  gunpowder 
explosions  than  a quiet  yeast  effect. 

Violence  in  the  Palace  was  followed  by  violence  in  the 
Violence  provinces;  then  came  the  Boxers,  and  their  adoption 
in  Palace  by  the  government;  the  siege  of  the  legations  by 
and  Imperial  troops,  aided  by  the  Boxers;  the  slaughter 
Provinces  of  135  missionaries  and  fifty-tlrree  children,  and  tens  of 
thousands  of  native  converts. 


From  Chine^t  fleroen,  Headland.  By  peraiission  of  Eaton  & Mains. 

CHEN  TA  YUNG,  THE  MARTYR 
The  great  viceroys  in  the  south  appreciated  the  madness 
of  the  Imperial  program,  and,  at  the  risk  of  losing  their 

42 


own  heads,  quietly  ignored  orders  from  Peking  to  destroy 
foreigners. 

Among  these  great  men  was  Tuan  Fang,  one  of  the  Com- 
missioners recently  in  the  United  States.  He  sent  foreigners 
out  of  his  province  under  escort  of  troops  who  had  orders  not 
to  turn  back  until  they  had  delivered  their  charge  into  the 
care  of  Chang  Chih  Tung’s  soldiers,  who  were  advancing  from 
the  south  to  meet  them. 

These  grand  men  of  China,  with  magnificent  intellects  be- 
hind impassive  faces,  not  only  lessened  the  crime  in- 
Great  tended,  but  also  saved  the  government  from  extinction 

Viceroys  in  the  day  of  reckoning  which  followed  the  arrival  of 
the  armies  from  the  West. 

The  allies  landed  on  the  coa.st  of  China.  Then  followed 
hard  fought  battles,  in  which  Chinese  batteries  and  infantry, 
trained  by  foreign  drill  masters  and  armed  with  Krupp  guns 
and  the  best  rifles  made,  proved  how  well  they  had  taken  to 
heart  the  lessons  learned  when  China’s  raw  troops  fled  before 
the  forces  of  Japan.  Only  five  years  since,  yet  what  advances 
China’s  army  had  made! 

Tientsin,  native  city,  was  assaulted  and  reduced;  then  be- 
gan the  march  to  Peking.  In  the  columns  that  fought  and 
marched  over  that  one  hundred  weary  miles  in  ten  of  the 
hottest  davs  of  a China  summer,  were  troops  from  empires 
whose  armies  had  fought  each  other  on  many  bloody  fields: 
Russian,  English,  French,  and  German,  and,  taking  the  brunt 
of  it  all,  valiant  little  Japan. 

United  in  a common  cause,  urged  by  a common  purpose,  on 
they  came,  through  bursted  gates,  over  walls,  under  a wall  by 
way  of  the  “water-gate  on  the  run  and  shouting  into  the  lines 
of  the  besieged — amidst  what  rejoicings  who  has  words  to 
tell! 

The  armies  went  into  camp  in  the  city;  the  British  with 
headquarters  in  the  sacred  precincts  of  the  Temple  of 
Allies  in  Heaven;  the  American  over  the  way  in  the  Temple  of 
Peking  Agriculture,  and  so  on,  until  all  the  troops  were  pro- 
\fided  for. 


43 


44 


The  deserted  and  desolated  city  was  policed  by  the  armies, 
each  nation  having  jurisdiction  over  a selected  portion.  When 
trades  people  and  hucksters  and  the  like  began  to  venture 
back  they  crowded  wliere  flew  the  colors  of  the  United  States, 
Great  Britain  and  Japan,  and  shunned  all  other  sections. 
These  three  were  not  the  perpetrators  of  the  horrors  which 
stain  the  records  of  those  days  of  International  rule  in 
Peking. 

Whatever  may  be  the  case  now,  America  was  then  recog- 
nized as  China’s  friend,  and  her  soldiers,  though  often  boister- 
ous in  talk,  showed  kindness  to  the  Chinese  which  they  keenly 
appreciated  in  their  bewildered,  bereft  and  suffering 
China’s  hearts. 

Humiliation  After  the  fight,  diplomacy  began  its  more  subtle 
and  cautious  work;  but  all  the  time  China’s  humilia- 
tion was  being  perfected. 

The  palaces  were  invaded.  The  laws  were  laid  down;  China 
should  not  import  arms;  no  examinations  should  be  held  in 
places  where  foreigners  had  been  slain;  she  should  pay  a big 
indenmity;  she  should  send  men  of  rank  to  stand  before  the 
German  Emperor  and  sue  for  pardon.  A great  memorial 
arch  should  be  erected  over  her  street  to  tell  how  she  had 
treacherously  slain  the  German  Minister;  many  additional 
acres  should  be  given  to  the  Legations  that  they  might  fortify 
themselves  in  her  capital;  and  so  on  to  the  bitter  end. 

The  Empress  Dowager,  invited  by  the  allies,  came 
Return  of  from  her  retreat  in  a western  province,  and  was  again 
Empress  seated  upon  the  Dragon  Throne;  this  time  by  favor  of 
Dowager  the  nations  whose  people  she  had  slain,  whose  Legations 
she  had  outraged. 

Her  superstitions  had  received  a check  in  the  slaying  of  the 
“ in\Tilnerable  ” Boxers.  The  collapse  of  her  proposed  war 
with  the  world  in  disaster  and  humiliation  to  her  nation, 
surely  must  have  enlightened  her  concerning  China’s  limita- 
tions and  needs,  and  concerning  the  possibilities  of  the 
West.  Would  she  profit  by  the  lesson  ? 

Whatever  may  have  been  her  real  feelings,  she  assumed  a 
friendly  attitude  at  once.  When  on  her  way  into  the  city 

45 


she  left  her  chair  to  visit  a temple  near  the  gate;  looking  up 
she  smiled  and  b.oved  to  foreign  ladies  who  were  on  the  city 
wall.  Once  reinstated,  she  began  to  invite  the  ladies  of  the 
Legations  to  the  palace,  and  ladies  of  the  royal  family  visited 
not  only  the  Legations  but  some  of  the  missionaries, 

Mrs.  Headland,  a physician,  who  wins  the  hearts  of  the 
Chinese  and  is  very  popular  among  them,  wTites  of  some 
touching  interviews  which  she  has  had  with  several  princesses 
and  other  ladies  of  rank.  “ One  dear  old  princess,  when 
Gospel  in  told  how  Jesus  died  on  the  cross  for  us,  said,  during 
Palace  the  Boxer  troubles,  ‘ I often  heard  about  the  Cross, 
that  it  was  an  evil  thing  and  used  to  bring  evil  influ- 
ences against  China, — 1 understand  now.’  We  gave  a copy 
of  The  Evidence  of  Christianity  to  the  daughter  of  a mem- 
ber of  the  Pri'V'y  Council,  an  intelligent  lady  who  is  interested 
in  the  Gospel;  she  remarked,  ‘The  Emperor  believes  in  the 
religion,  and  had  it  not  been  for  the  coup  d’etat,  he  would 
have  made  one  day  in  seven,  a day  of  rest;  I have  heard 
that  he  still  pra\'s  to  the  foreign  God.’  ” 

Another  high-born  lady  had  a little  Christian  slave  girl, 
and  the  famil}'  feared  trouble  and  wanted  the  little  Christian 
turned  out.  . . . Finally  the  lady,  who  would  not  give 

the  little  girl  up,  dressed  herself  and  the  little  one  as  beggars> 
so  made  her  way  to  the  home  of  an  uncle  who  took  them  both 
in.  The  lady  commented  on  the  experience,  “ How  could  I 
expect  compassion  in  the  hour  of  my  extremity,  if  I did  not 
protect  her  in  her  danger  ?”  Later  this  lad\'  was  stricken, 
and  as  the  end  was  fa.st  approaching,  she  took  iirs.  Head- 
land’s hand  and  said,  “ Tell  me  more  about  the  God  whom 
you  worship,  and  who  you  say  came  to  save  men.” 

As  to  the  princess’  story  about  the  Emperor  believing 
the  Gospel,  during  the  time  when  he  was  calling  into  the 
palace  Bibles  and  tracts  and  scientific  works,  many  reports 
concerning  his  faith  in  Christianit}'  were  current  in  the  city. 
The  details  of  some  of  the  stories  were  so  direct  and  possible, 
that  many  were  convinced  of  their  entire  truthfulness. 

One  such,  in  which  a Christian  barber  figures,  is  full  of 
the  flavor  of  oriental  humor,  and  suggests  a touch  of  pathos 

46 


as  well.  The  barber  in  question  was  connected  with  the 
London  Mission  in  Peking.  A lady  of  that  mission,  who  had 
his  story  direct  from  the  barber  himself,  told  it  to  the  writer. 
It  seems  that  this  particular  barber  went  periodically  to  the 
palace  to  shave  the  heads  of  men  serving  there.  When  the 
excitement  caused  by  the  Emperor’s  reform  measures  was  at 
its  height,  the  barber’s  patrons  in  the  palace  gathered  about 
him  on  each  visit  and  besought  him  to  teach  them 
The  Emperor  the  Christian  Catechism.  In  explanation  of  their 
and  the  zeal,  the}'  told  the  barber  that  his  Majesty  theEm- 

Catechism  peror  was  reading  the  Catechism,  and  liked  to  line 
up  fellows  and  put  the  questions  to  them.  These 
particular  fellows  were  afraid  of  consequences  if  their 
turn  to  answer  the  Catechism  questions  should  find 
them  unprepared;  so  here  was  a humble  barber  teaching 
the  Christian  Catechism  to  retainers  of  the  young  Emperor, 
they  dreading  the  day  when  they  might  have  to  appear  before 
his  august  majesty,  the  son  of  heaven,  and  recite  their  lessons 
on  Christian  doctrine. 

It  is  not  impossible  that  the  young  ruler  did  read  and  be- 
lieve; that  he  did  pray  to  the  God  of  whom  he  read  in  the 
Bible;  that  he  did  tru.st  the  foreigner’s  God  to  guide  him, 
and  therefore  dared  to  run  swiftly  the  new  course. 

The  above  story  has  a hint  of  confirmation  in  the  following 
fact,  recently  told  to  the  writer  by  an  eyewitness: 

“Certain  missionaries  went  through  the  palace  in  the  wake 
of  the  armies,  and,  in  the  Emperor’s  room,  they  found  Cate- 
chisms and  other  Christian  books.  ” 

The  persecution  advertised  the  Christian  religion  all  over 
the  Empire.  The  faithfulness  of  the  Christians  attracted  the 
amazed  attention  of  many  officials,  who  asked:  “ What  is  this 
religion  for  which  these  people  are  willing  to  die?”  The  Chinese 
are  not  particularly  religious.  Their  bent  is  rather  toward 
materialism.  To  their  indifferent  minds,  while  it  might  be  no 
great  matter  to  die,  yet  it  was  surprising  to  find  anyone  who 
thinks  it  worth  while  to  die  for  a religion;  hence  the  question, 
“ What  is  this  religion?” 


47 


The  great  explosion,  which  culminated  in  the  siege  of 
Peking,  has  blown  down  barriers,  and  opened  wide  avenues 
in  every  direction  for  the  progress  of  this  now  widely  adver- 
tised Gospel.  So  is  the  wrath  of  man  made  to  praise  Him. 
By  such  tokens  of  His  leadership,  does  the  great  Captain  bid 
his  people  move  forward. 

While  missionaries  were  gathering  the  remnants  of  the 
scattered  church,  rebuilding  the  houses,  churches,  hospitals, 
schoolhouses  and  chapels  which  had  been  destroyed,  and 
Japan  were  receiving  crowds  who  came  to  the  preaching  services, 

and  and  making  place  for  those  who  knocked  at  the  doors  of 

Russia  their  schools,  political  matters  in  the  East  were  marshaling 
to  another  crisis.  Thus,  while  an  anxious  and  doubtful 
world  looked  on,  like  the  little  Monitor  steaming  to  meet  the 
monster  Merrimac,  plucky  little  Japan  took  the  field  against 
China’s  foe,  great  Russia,  and  worsted  her  in  every  battle. 


FUNERAL  PROCESSION  ENTERING  RESTORED 
ASBURY  CHURCH,  PEKING. 

China,  looking  on,  learned  her  final  lesson  concerning  the 
might  of  modern  methods;  no  longer  afraid  of  her  old  foe  on 
the  north  and  assured  by  Japan’s  alliance  with  England  of 
the  integrity  of  her^territor}^  China  makes  up  her  mind  and 

48 


is  off  at  once  on  a career  of  reform,  and  evidently  means 
thorough  work. 

All  the  edicts  which  brought  on  the  crisis  of  1898  again 
appear,  and  this  time  it  is  the  Empress  Dowager  herself  who 
is  issuing  them.  She  goes  further  than  the  Emperor  did. 
More  She  abrogates  entirely  the  great  examinations,  and  makes 
Reform  a Naval  Academy  on  the  great  premise.s  where  formerly 
Edicts  15,000  used  to  assemble  for  civil  sertdce  e.xaminations.  For 
these  examinations  .she  substitutes  examinations  in  the 
provincial  schools  which  are  b^ing  established:  and  the  sub- 
jects of  the  examinations  must  hereafter  be  mining,  engineer- 
ing, railroading,  mathematics  and  the  sciences. 

Under  the  present  order  of  things  post  offices  have  been 
established  with  headquarters  in  Peking.  Buddhist  temples 
are  turned  into  school  houses,  journalism  is  encouraged,  and 
there  are  abeady  six  papers  and  periodicals  published  in 
Peking.  Where  formerly  there  were  not  more  than  five  news- 
papers in  the  whole  empire,  they  now  flourish  in  large  and 
increasing  number. 

China  now  lays  her  plans  for  an  army  of  1,250,000  men,  to 
be  equipped  -n-ithin  twenty  years.  Before  the  end  of  the 
present  year,  there  will  be  a trained  army  of  400,000  men 
armed  with  magazine  rifles  and  proffided  with  modern  field 
guns.  At  present  China  has  orders  out  for  one  million  rifles 
and  plans  for  three  hundred  modern  batteries. 

China  is  sending  himdreds  of  her  young  men  to  the  Japan- 
ese Military  Academy.  While  her  o^m  government  schools 
Chinese  are  numerous,  many  of  her  young  men  seek  instruction  in 
Students  mission  institutions,  and  give  as  their  reason  that  the 
in  Japan  work  of  the  mission  schools  is  more  thorough  and  earnest, 
and  that  there  is  a healthy  moral  atmosphere  there. 

Chinese  are  studying  modem  law  in  the  schools  of  Japan, 
in  view  of  the  coming  reformation  of  the  Civil  and  Criminal 
Laws  of  the  Chinese  Empire. 

The  North  China  Herald,  from  which  the  above  is  taken, 
also  reports  a suggested  reform  that  is  far-reaching  in  its  im- 
port. It  is  urged  that  military  grades  be  made  equal  to 
civil  grades. 


49 


For  centuries  the  military  mandarin  has  always  ranked 
beneath  the  civil  officer  and  might,  if  he  offended,  be  bam- 
booed;  therefore,  military  and  naval  offices  are  not  accepted 
bv  men  in  the  best  families  unless  they  are  first 
Military  Status  made  civil  mandarins,  in  which  case,  they  may 
Advanced  take  military  or  naval  office  without  fear  of  being 

despised  or  bambooed.  The  change  suggested 
will  stimulate  ardor  for  military  achi-vement,  and  so  ad- 
vance China’s  plans  for  perfecting  a great  armj'. 

The  Chinese  government  has  sent  a commission  around 
the  world  to  study  the  institutions  of  Western  governments, 
with  reference  to  further  reforms  to  be  introduced  into 
China.  The  Commissioners,  His  Excellency 
Imperial  Tuan  Fang  and  His  Excellenc}'  Tai  Hung  Chi, 

Commissioners  were  the  guests  of  honor  at  a great  banquet 
given  them  in  New  York  city,  Feb.  2,  1906, 
on  the  eve  of  their  departure  for  Europe. 

In  the  course  of  an  address  made  by  His  Excellency 
Tuan  Fang  on  that  occasion,  he  said,  concerning  missionaries 
in  China:  “ They  have  borne  the  light  of  of  Western  civiliza- 
tion into  every  nook  and  corner  of  the  Empire 

The  awakening  of  China,  may  be  traced  in  no  small  measure 
to  the  work  of  the  missionaries.” 

Perhaps  no  change,  among  the  many  now  being  accom- 
plished in  China,  is  more  remarkable  than  the  right-about- 
face  movement  in  regard  to  the  women  of  China.  Hereto- 
fore held  as  an  inferior,  and  treated  on  the  theory 
Recognition  that  lack  of  opportimity  was  all  that  would  keep 
and  Education  womankind  from  going  astray,  now  at  length  their 
of  Women  kingdom  seems  to  be  opening  to  them.  Chinese 
gentlemen  are  saying,  “ If  we  would  be  a strong 
nation,  our  women  must  be  educated.”  Schools  for  girls  are 
being  opened,  and  to  make  their  emancipation  complete,  in 
many  cases  unbinding  of  the  feet  is  made  a condition  of 
entrance. 

Girls  of  influential  families  are  brought  to  mission  schools 
and  there  mingle  with  humble  folks  in  fine  accord.  Num- 
bers of  Chinese  ladies  are  beinar  sent  to  schools  in  Japan. 

50 


The  Cliinese  are  thorough  people  and  stop  at  no  half-way 
measures  when  moved  by  a conviction.  A Mongol  prince 
and  his  wife  appeared  in  Peking  some  months  ago,  bringing 
with  them  ten  bright  young  girls.  He  has  a school  of  sixty 
girls  somewhere  in  Mongolia,  and  came  to  visit  our  girls’ 
school  in  Peking  to  get  suggestions  for  the  improvement  of 
his  school;  and  brought  his  ten  girl  pupils  along 
At  to  let  them  “open  their  eyes”  in  Peking.  Chi- 

Miss  Roosevelt’s  nese  ladies  mingled  with  other  guests  at  the  re- 
Reception  ception  given  Miss  Roosevelt  in  Tientsin — another 

new  departure  showing  the  determination  of  the 
Chinese  to  conform  as  rapidly  as  possible  to  the  customs  of 
the  rest  of  the  world. 

A letter  from  Mrs.  Whiting  of  Peking  in  Woman’s  Work 
' (Paper  of  the  Presbyterian  Woman’s  Board),  is  intensely 
suggestive. 

Of  a new  daily  now  published  in  Peking,  she  writes  : “ It 
is  called  the  ‘Peking  Woman’s  Paper,’  and  already  has  a 
large  circulation.  It  is  not  a missionary  enterprise,  not 
Christian  ; but  it  is  strongly  in  favor  of  progress  and  re- 
Peking  form.  Within  a few  days  it  has  printed  articles  on  the 
Woman’s  following  subjects:  ‘ Evils  of  Obtaining  Evidence  by  Tor- 
Journal  ture,’  ‘Proof  that  the  AVorld  is  Round,  and  that  the 
World  Moves,’  ‘Care  of  Children,’  ‘Importance  of 
Truthfulness,’  ‘Kindness  to  Animals,’  ‘Story  of  Sagacity  of 
Animals,’  ‘Evils  of  Opium  Taking:  Suggestions  for  Forma- 
tion of  Anti-Opium  League,’  ‘Importance  of  Education,’ 
‘Love  of  Country.’ 

“ Each  edition  contains  the  latest  telegrams  and  advertises 
schools,  sewing  machines,  fire  extinguishers;  gives  the  days 
of  the  week,  and  is  delivered  at  the  door  daily,  all  for  ten 
cents  a month.  Newspapers  are  multiplying  rapidly,  and 
are  aU  printed  in  the  common  talk  of  the  people. 

“Reading-rooms  are  established  all  over  Peking,  and  at 
certain  hours  the  papers  are  read  aloud,  and  discussions 
foUow;  if  in  the  discussion  the  speaker  who  has  the  floor 
Reading  says  a word  in  favor  of  idol-worship,  he  is  immediately 
Rooms  called  down.  To  us,  who  remember  the  old  days  when 

51 


there  was  but  one  newspaper  in  the  whole  Empire,  all 
this  seems  truly  wonderful.  ” 

Papers  from  China  report  that  the  temples  of  Peking  are 
deserted  and  are  being  changed  into  schools;  and  one  paper 
reports  the  conversion  to  Christianity  of  the  Buddhist  abbot 
of  a monastery  in  the  province  of  Hunan.  Several  of  the 
monks  also  were  converted,  and  there  was  a general  smash- 
up  of  the  idols  of  the  monastery. 

The  most  far-reaching  result  of  the  revolution  in  pro- 
National  cess  in  China,  is  the  birth  of  a National  Spirit. 
Spirit  The  newspapers,  rapidly  increasing  in  number,  foster 

this  spirit. 

The  violence  which  bursts  forth  so  often,  is  due  very  largely 
to  a body  of  half-instructed  students  who,  in  eagerness  for 
progress,  indulge  in  unwise  speaking  and  WTiting;  while  the 
government  has  made  wide  reaching  reforms  and  continues 
to  advance,  it  does  not  move  fast  enough  to  suit  these  hot- 
heads. Many  cross  purposes  are  at  work,  and  other  outbursts 
may  be  expected.  But  the  violence  does  not  indicate  another 
rise  of  the  Boxer  movement. 

The  so-called  Boxer  uprising  of  1900  was  an  effort  to  revert — 
to  put  foreigners  and  their  works  out  of  China  and  shut  the 
nation  up  as  of  old. 

The  present  movement  is  an  attempt  at  progress  and 
Advance — rerfom — it  is  forward. 

Not  Revert  In  1900  the  Chinese  government  sought  the  lives  of 
foreigners  and  rewarded  violence. 

In  the  present  disturbance  the  Chinese  government  is  against 
violence  and  undertakes  to  protect  foreigners.  The  different 
attitude  taken  by  the  government  in  the  two  cases  makes 
them  as  unlike  as  night  is  unlike  day. 

A great  nation,  at  last  awake  to  its  needs,  is  pressing  for  a 
place  among  the  advanced  nations  of  the  earth. 

She  needs  the  support  of  a Christian  nation  to  help  and 
steady  her  in  her  transition.  Who  so  near  and  so  strong  to 
help  as  our  own  United  States  ? 

Bishop  Bashford  says,  “China  to-day  is  where  Japan  was 
thirty  or  forty  years  ago.” 


52 


Blit  China  has  the  advantage  of  Japan’s  example  ; and 
severe  experiences  of  her  own  have  quickened  her  acquisitive 
powers.  China  will  come  abreast  of  Japan  in  much  less 
A Crisis  than  thirty  or  forty  years. 

To  be  sure,  her  bulk  is  huge  and  Japan  is  little  com- 
pared with  her;  but  large  bodies,  while  slow  to  start, 
acquire  tremendous  momentum  after  they  begin  moving. 

The  Rev.  Arthur  H.  Smith,  D.  D.,  says: — “ In  the  last 
five  years  China  has  made  more  progress  than  any  other 
nation  on  the  earth,”  meaning  not  so  much  the  development 
of  railroads,  mines,  and  telegraphs,  but  the  awakening  of  a 
National  Spirit,  by  which  the  people  are  being  united,  and 
her  assimilation  of  progressive  methods. 

Sir  Robert  Hart,  Inspector  General  of  the  Imperial  Chinese 
Cirstoms,  says:  “For  forty  years  I have  lived  in  China,  and 
tlmough  the  years  China  has  been  like  a sealed  room  stifling 
with  dead  air;  China  of  today  has  the  doors  and  windows  wide 
open,  and  through  them  the  air  blows  freely.  To  be  sure, 
the  breeze  may  develop  cyclones;  nevertheless,  there  is  gain 
in  having  unobstructed  circulation.” 

Dr.  Ilallock,  Presbyterian  missionary  in  China,  says: 
“China  is  like  hot  iron,  ready  for  the  molding;  more  is  to  be 
accomplished  in  the  shaping  of  China  in  the  next  ten  years, 
than  has  been  done  in  the  last  century.  ” 

Bishop  Bashford  says:  “More  can  be  done  for  China  now 
in  two  or  three  years  with  two  or  three  hundred  thousand 
dollars,  than  can  be  accomplished  ten  years  hence  with  mil- 
lions of  dollars.” 

The  present  crisis  in  China  is  a turning  point  in  the  history 
of  the  world.  English  rule  controls  the  millions  of  India, 
and  English  and  European  forces  are  supreme  in  Africa.  But 
China  is  the  one  great  non-Christian  empire  of  the  earth, 
who  flies  her  ovm  flag  and  rules  her  own  people.  If,  with  her 
four  hundred  millions,  she  swings  into  line  as  a military  nation , 
without  becoming  Cliristian,  she  wiU  bring  trouble  to  the 
Christian  world. 

Selfish  interests  alone  counsel  prompt  and  generous  action 
in  China’s  behalf  on  the  part  of  Christian  nations. 

53 


God  has  answered  the  prayer  of  tlie  church  by  His  over- 
ruling, whicli  lays  China  wide  open  for  the  advance  of  the 
church. 

China  calls  across  the  water  to  us. 

By  manifest  providence  God  points  the  way  for  us. 

To-day  is  a day  of  supreme  opportunity  for  our  nation  and 
our  church. 

Tt  is  a day  of  supreme  responsibility  as  well.  If  the 
church  moves  “speedily  and  with  large  resources”  to  meet 
its  responsibilities,  a cloud  of  materialism  already  .shadow- 
ing Japan,  shall  be  dissipated,  and  can  never  drift  thence 
to  shadow  our  own  land.  And  our  generation  may  see 
flying  above  the  dragon  flag,  the  white  pennant  with  its 
sign  of  the  all  conquering  cross  of  Christ. 


Missionary  Totals  for  China 


190.5 

1904 

METHODIST 

ALL 

EPISCOPAL 

SOCIETIES 

Missionaries 

19C 

3,107 

Native  Membership 

Other  Adherents,  (Baptized  Children  . . 

27,35T 

1.31.404 

and  Inquirers) 

18.471 

101.172 

Total  Christian  Community 

Native  Helpers,  (Preachers,  Teachers,. 

4.5,828 

232,570 

Bible-Readers  etc.) 

1..518 

8,313 

Elementary  or  Day  Schools 

242 

2.1()() 

Higher  Institutions  of  Learning 

45 

275 

Total  Students  and  Pupils 

7.801 

50.558 

Sunday-Schools 

4o;i 



Sunday-School  Scholars 

15.35(1 

38.572 

Hospitals  and  Dispensaries 

'20 

318 

Printing  Presses 

2 

() 

Pages  Printed  in  One  Year 

1(1.013,314 

— 

I 


